Air cleaner



' J.P.QUAM. AIR CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED OCI. 4. 1920.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.r

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Patented Nov. 7, 1932.

UNETEDA :1.-

raras PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES P. GUAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGSOR T0 EDWARD M. ADAMS,. OF CHICAGO,k ILLINOIS.

AIR cLEANEn- Application mea october 4, 1920. serial No. 414,700.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JAMES P. QUAM, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have rinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Air Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to air-.cleaning apparatus particularly useful for separating dust and heavier particles from air, for use` in internal combustion engines. The invention more particularly relates to improvements in centrifugal separators 'which are driven by a rotor propelled by the current of air which is drawn by the engine through the carbureter.

The main object of the invention isto produce a vortex of all the air passing through the device, and which vortex is of consider ably greater diameter than the driving rotor an consequently develops an increased velocity and centrifugal action whereby its separating effect is improved over the ordi?` nary fan type of separator. A further purproducing element which is'v of larger diameter and separable from the roter which drives it. A further obj ect of the invention is to provide improved means for decreasing the motion of the air near the area where the separated dirt collects and to provide a com-` partment for the collection of the dirt whiching vortex. l

he objects of the invention are accomplished by the vdevice as shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. v1 shows the iniliroved air cleaner in vertical section.

F ig. 2 is a sectional detail showing the :in-- let to the dirt receptacle. v

It is well known that the en'gineso'fautof mobiles and tractors, particularlyI when driven through dusty localities,v are very much injured by dust, even sand making its way into the vengine cylinders.' For the purpose of effectually vseparatii'ig the heavier particles carried kby the incoming'air, the present invention comprises a more 'or less is protected from the motionof the separatpose of the invention is to provide a vortex` rigid therewith.

semi-spherical casing having an air inlet at its upper end and an outlet to the engine carbureter at its lower end. At one side of the device provision is madev for collecting the dirt which is separated from the air by centrifugal action. Centrally located within f the casing is a rotor having fan-shaped blades and rigid with this rotor is a conical hood which. has upwardly extending radiating flanges kfor producing the desired whirling motion of the yentering air. The hood being of; considerably greater ydiameter than the rotor, causes the air to whirl around the inner' surface of the casing at a considerable increase in velocity over its traveling motion through the inlets and outlets of the device. The centrifugal action on heavy particles inthe air causes them to travel outwardly and downwardly toward the curved inner surface of the casing and around the edge of a projecting disk rio'idly secured in the casing somewhat above t e bottom of its licor. The function of this disk is toprovide a comparatively dead air space near the point of outlet of the'collected dirt which drops through an aperture below the disk into a jar suspended from the casing.

The drawings show a casing 1 of a somewhatsemi-spherical form having a floor 2y and an inlett for air 3 centrally located at its upper end and an outlet l for dirt at one side of-its floor. A projecting lip 5 on the floor at one side of the outlet serves to direct the dirt downwardly into a jar 6, which is threaded into a socket7 formed in floor 2. Any elbowshaped conduit 8 cast with the floor 2 conducts the cleaned air from within the casing 1 toward the carbureter. This elbow 8 lhas' spider arms 9 for supportingl a verticle post 10 which serves as a bearing for the rotor 11 and the flanged hood impeller 12 A cap 13 which is screwed on to a sleeve 14 serves to secure the hood 12 to thesleeve 14 on which sleeve the rotor 11 is also mount-ed at its vlower end. Cap 13 contains a ball 15 which sustains the weight ofthe rotor and connecting parts by resting on the `upper end of post 10. The .radial `lia-nges or ns 16 on the upper surface-of the hood 1Q are shown as angle bars riveted to the hood. it lined disk 1S is mounted on the elbow 8 somewhat above the floor 2 oit the casing 1, for the purpose of separating the interior of the casing into two compartments having communication around the outer edge of the disk and tor protecting the coinpartment below the disk against the action of the whirling air above it.

In the operation et the device, the air drawn through the elbow 8 by the suction ot the engine, by engaging the inclined blades ot the rotor eilects rotation of the latter and the` hood 12 rigid therewitl'i. The downwardly trave-ling vertical column oi' air entering the inlet is twisted by the action of flanges 1G. this whirling or twisting motion being very much increased in velocity as the air travels downwardly between the casing 1 and the hood 12. The dirt which is thrown outwardly by the whirling air travels downwardly along the curved and outwardly inclined inner surface 17 of casing 1. The momentum ol the dirt as it falls below the plane of disk 1S carries it against the beveled lip 5 where it drops into the collecting jar 6.

The whirling motion of the air continues as it travels inwardly from the surface 17 toward the rotor 11 and accordingly strikes the rotor blades at a suitable angle lor maintaining the maximum velocity of the rotor. Due to this cause and that the load on the rotor is very light, the latter tends to race and thereby effects a very considerable cen trifugal action in view of the velocity of the incoming air.

Since the element for producing the whirling action of the air is made to conform to and lies close to the walls ot' the casing, the incoming air has, in addition to its whirling motion, an. increased velocity in a downward direction with respect to its rate` of travel in the comparatively large area exterior of the upwardly projecting conduit or elbow S. llVith this arrangement the heavier particles are thrown out and down while the spa-ce below the rotating hood permits gravity to act effectively in assisting to settle the dust, the air in this space traveling upwardly at a slower rate.

Although but one specific embodiment et this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the con-struction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as deiined by the :following claims.

I claim:

l. An air cleaner of the class described, comprising a casing and a rotor journaled therein, said rotor being surmounted by and rigid with a hood provided with projecting fins, said casing being provided with a centrally located air inlet and an outlet, and having an outlet for dirt near its outer edge.

il. An air cleaner of the class described, comprising a casing and a rotor journaled therein, said rotor being surmounted by and rigid with a hood of greater diameter than the rotor and being provided with projecting tins, said casing being provided with a centrally located air inlet and an outlet, and having an outlet it'or dirt near its outer edge.

3. An air cleaner of the class described, comprising a casing, a hood and rotor journaled therein, said hood being of conical form and of greater diameter than the rotor, and being provided with projecting iins, an inlet for air adjacent said hood, and an outlet for air near the rotor.

il. An air cleaner of the class described,

comprising a casing having a floor, a disk spaced upwardly from the floor and provided With a central aperture, the edge oi. said disk terminating inwardly from the casing, an air outlet centrally located in the floor, and a rotor mounted in the casing adjacent said outlet, said rotor being rigid with and surmounted by a conical hood, and said casing being provided with an inlet for air above said hood.

5. An air cleaner of the class described comprising a casing having an inwardly projecting conduit and a rotor journaled in said casing adapted to be rotated by air drawn through said casing, an impeller eX- terior ot' the conduit but rigid with said rotor for producing in said casing a vortex of greater diameter than said rotor, and means for collecting the dirt which is sepa rated from the air by the centrifugal action of said impeller.

6. An air cleaning device, comprising a casing with an inlet opening and an outlet opening through an inwardly projecting conduit, and a rotatable element shaped and positioned to provide a restricted passage for air along the walls of the upper part of said casing and adapted to eiect a whirling motion of the air drawn into said casing. said casing below said rotor being shaped and said inwardly projecting conduit being arranged rela-tive thereto so as to provide a comparatively large unoccupied settling area around said conduit below said rotatable element.

7. An air cleaner comprising a casing having an air inlet and an outlet, a rotor arranged to be driven by air flowing through said casing, and an impervious impeller carried by said rotor and arranged. to form a partition located between said inlet and outlet', said impeller having a greater diameter than said rotor vso as to produce a vortex of greater velocity than the lineal speed of said rotor.

8. An air cleaner comprising a casing having an air inlet and an outlet, a rotor located in said outlet and arranged to be driven by air flow-ing through said` casi-ng,

and en impervious impeller carried by said traliy located air inlet and an outlet openrotor for producing Within said casing a ing through an inwardly projecting conduit, 10 vortex of greater dia-meter than said rotor; and having an outlet for dirt near its outer 9. An air cleaner of the class described,` edge. comprising a, casing and a rotor journaled Signed at Chicago this 2nd day of Oct. therein, said rotor being surmounted by and 1920. rigid with a, hood provided with projecting n fins, said casing being provided with a, cen JAMES P. QUAM. 

